Godfrey Voters Face Ballot Question On Ending ‘Opt-Out’ Electricity Aggregation Program
Question on April 6, 2027 ballots will ask Godfrey voters whether the village should terminate its long-running participation in an electric program that requires residents to opt out.
Village of Godfrey Board of Trustees: Public Safety, Finance, Board Meetings
GODFREY – Voters in Godfrey will be asked next spring whether the village should end its involvement in an electricity aggregation program after 14 years of residents being automatically enrolled.
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At their Oct. 6, 2026 meeting, Village Board members unanimously approved a resolution to submit a ballot question for the April 6, 2027 elections asking whether the village should terminate the opt-out electricity aggregation program.
The resolution gives village trustees the authority to terminate the program if the ballot question is approved by a majority of voters. The exact wording of the question will appear on the ballot as follows:
“Shall the Village of GODFREY have the authority to terminate the Municipal Opt-Out Electricity Aggregation Program for its residential and small commercial retail customers at the conclusion of the current contract in June 2027?”
In 2012, Godfrey residents voted overwhelmingly to enter the electricity aggregation program in response to a previous ballot question. Karen Sinks explained that while the program offered significant savings at first, the energy market has become “more volatile” in recent years as Ameren Illinois offers increasingly competitive rates.
Also at issue is the program’s “opt-out” nature, by which residents are automatically enrolled in the program unless they take action to opt out. Sinks said the program was made this way under Illinois state law and the village cannot change the program to be “opt-in.”
While Sinks offered no predictions on future electricity rates through the program or through Ameren, she said the village’s termination of the program would not stop any homeowner from seeking a third-party electricity supplier, but the homeowner would have to complete that process themselves.
Trustee Rick Laushke said he’s heard several complaints from residents about the program being “opt-out” instead of “opt-in,” adding many residents may not even know they’re currently enrolled. Sinks agreed homeowners shouldn’t have to take action to opt out and supported the village stepping away from the program.
A full recording of the Oct. 6, 2026 Godfrey Village Board meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
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